El paisaje vegetal de Extremadura, España

Abstract

The landscape vegetation of Extremadura, Spain. - The main goal of this work is to gain insight into the landscape of region of Extremadura, located in the suothwest quadrant of the Iberian Peninsula. Owing to ecological factors such as temperature, rainfall and soil types, the predominant landscape of the territory is formed by Mediterranean clymatophylous series, whose main emplacements vary a function of the bioclimatic floor. Thus, the mesomediterranean feactures the holm oak (Quercus rotundifolia) and the cork oak (Quercus suber); the supramediterranean, the oak (Quercus pyrenaica), and the oromediterranean, formations of genista (Cytisus oromediterraneus, Echinopartum barnadesii, Genista cinerea subsp. cinerascens).Edaphohygrophylous series are represented by stands of alder (Alnus glutinosa), ash (Fraxinus angustifolia), willow (Salix sp. pl.), box-leafed broom (Securinega tinctoria) and oleander (Nerium oleander). In order to complete our knowledge of this landscape, of special relevance is the single-stratum vegetation colonizing biotopes such as cliffs and gravel pits, wich serve as a refuge to most of the endemic vegetation of Extremadura. On the quartzite rocks crowning the Silurian series, one finds as permanent communities the heliophobic fissuricolous communities belonging to the association Asplenio billotii-Cheianthetum hispanicae the heliophylous association of Diantho lusitani-Jasionetum tomentosi and, at the base of rock formations and isolated bocks the saxicolous communities of Digitali thapsi-Dianthetum lusitani and Phagnalo saxatilis-Rumicetum indurati. These biotopes have an endemic arbustive vegetation definided by Adenocarpetum argyrophylli.

Key Words:

• Geosynphytosociology
• Extremadura
• Iberian peninsula